Arrangements of electrical connections in a vacuum cleaner



A. CONORD Nov. 11, 1958 ARRANGEMENTS OF ELECTRICAL.v CONNECTIONS IN A VACUUM CLEANER Filed March 2:5. 1955 bnr INVENTOR drm/fa' [7o/yard.

ATTORNEY 5 United tates Patent i ARRANGEMENTS F ELECTRICAL CONNEC- TIONS IN A VACUUM CLEANER Andr Conord, Paris, France, assignor to Ceman Conord, Paris, France, a company of France Appliction March 23, 1955,'s`eria1N0. 496,259

Claims priority, application France December 2, 1954 1 Claim. (Cl. 20D-51) In domestic appliances and, in particular, vacuum cleaners, the current supply wires are fixed to the electric motor by screw connections. When a defect occurs, such as the breaking of a wire, it is necessary to dismantle the entire connection by removing a number of screws in order to repair the damaged part. In addition, it is frequently necessary to replace a considerable length of wire in order to avoid splices which are both ugly and unreliable.

The invention has for its object to provide an arrangement of the electrical connections for domestic appliances and in particular for vacuum cleaners, which obviates these disadvantages.

According to the invention, the electric lead feeding the device to be energized, for example in a Vacuum cleaner the motor unit, is divided into two independent parts, one of which is constituted by a very short length of wire between the said device and a first contact member rigidly joined to a part of the appliance, While the other is constituted by a current supply connection and switch, which are connected to a second contact member rigidly connected to another part of the appliance. These two parts can easily-be separated, and when they are fitted one on the other, the first and second contact members are in contact. When a defect in operation occurs, the two parts of the appliances can easily be separated, for example by simply unscrewing one or two screws, and the defect found in one of the two parts of the electric lead can be remedied.

A vacuum cleaner provided with an electric connection according to the invention has been illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, by way of example. Fig. l is a fragmentary View, partially in elevation and partly in section, the handle of the appliance being in longitudinal section, and shown connected to the body of the vacuum cleaner. Fig. 2 is a section taken along the lines Il-II in Fig. 1. Only parts necessary for the understanding of the invention are shown in the drawing, the other parts of the vacuum cleaner are conventional and for the sake of greater simplicity have been omitted.

The mechanical part of the vacuum cleaner in question is contained in a casing made of a non-conductive material, the rear part of which casing is seen at 1. The motor of the vacuum cleaner is suspended by a ring 18, for example of rubber, held by the clamping of its annular edge part 19 between flanges 29 and 30 on a first or front part 20 of the casing and a second or rear part 1 of the latter respectively. Current is supplied to the motor 33 by two electrical conductors. Each of said conductors comprising a wire 21, which has one end connected to a rod 22 passing through the motor support 18. Frori each rod 22 a wire 7 runs to a contact screw 9 screwed into a top wall part 23 on the rear part 1 of the casing. On the latter, a handle is fixed by screw attachment of its ends respectively on the front and rear parts of the casing. As shown in Fig. 1, the front end of the handle 10 is attached to the front part 20 of the casing by a ice screw 38 projecting through a hole 39 in the wall 20 and screwed in a threaded socket 40 suitably fitted iua.

11' as shown in Fig. 2 which are symmetrically arranged..

These tails 11a are screwed into corresponding sockets 12 which in turn are suitably fitted into the upper portion of the casing part 1. The pins 11, 11 are provided with a shoulder 3S and screwed into an end part 16 of the handle 10 which is, of course, made of a non-conductive material. Between the shoulder 35, of each supply pin 11, 11 and the end part 16 is loosely fitted around the tail 11a an eyelet 36, 36a Fig. 2. One of said eyelets is welded to one end of a short wire 13, the other end of which is secured for example by a screw 32 to a resilient contact blade 8. The other eyelet 36a (cooperating with the supply pin 11 not shown in Fig. l) is similarily welded to one end of a similar wire 24, the other end of which is connected to one of the elements of a switch 3. The other end of the switch 3 is connected by a wire 14 and a screw 32 to a second contact blade 8a similar to the blade 8 shown in Fig. l and symmetrically arranged therewith when seen in a plan View. The switch 3 is fixed as shown by screws 37 on an internal face of a recess 2 on the rear part of the handle 10. The part 16 of the end of the handle comes into contact, when the handle is fixed, with a corresponding surface 17 on the top of the casing part 1, while the rear part of the handle enclosing the switch 3 fits into a recess 25 in the casing and a raised edge 26 on the casing is applied against a projection 27 on the rear part of the handle. When the handle is thus placed in position on the casing, the pins 11, 11 are so disposed that their tails 11a can be screwed into the sockets 12. At the same time, the two contact blades 8 and 8a come into a position in which they bear against the contact screw heads 9. In this Way, in a known manner, the current reaches the motor when the switch 3 is in its on position. From the first supply pin 11', the current flows through the eyelet 36a and the wire 24 to the switch 3 and from this switch to the contact blade 8a through wire 14 and screw 32. The blade 8a being engaged by one of the screws 9, the current flows to motor 33 through one wire 7 one rod 22 and one wire 2l, and liows back through the second of said wires and the rods to the second screw 9. From the second screw 9, the current flows through the blade 8, and screw 32 and the wire 13 to the eyelet 36 and the pin 11. The switch control member 4 is attached to a thin and rigid rod 5 fixed at 15 to a button 6 which is slidable on the surface of the handle 10 without being able to leave that surface. The connection of the button 6 to the handle 10 is not shown, because arrangements of this type are well known. This arrangement enables the supply of current to the motor to be controlled without letting go of the handle, during working.

In the event of any damage occurring, it is therefore sufiicient to unscrew the pins 11, 11 and release the fastening of the front part of the handle 10 in order to be able to remove said handle with the switch control mechanism and then to separate the entire electric lead of the motor from the apparatus.

I claim:

An electrical connection for energizing the motor of a domestic appliance, comprising a non-conductive housing on said appliance, contact screws mounted within said housing and in circuit with said appliance motor, internal threaded sockets mounted in fixed relation within said housing, a handle member detachably mounted on said housing enclosing said sockets and contact screws, a con- Patented Nov. 11, 1958V havingatoneizend a portion .forr` detachable connection-to a sourcefof electrical current, thefopp'osite ends of-said pins "being screwed'into said scketsffone of said pins being connected to a contactI blade 'carriedvbythel'handld said contact blade'engaging one'of said contact screwswhenl the pin is screwed'into kits "correspondingsocket, an electrical connection between-the .other of said pins and one side of;said switch, a Ysecond Contact blade on said handle engaging the other of said contact screws of the appliance housing, van electrical connection between Vthe other side of said switch and said latter contact blade, said switch when closed placing said supply pins in electrical circuit with the appliance motor through said housing contact screws.

References Cited in the file of vthis patent UNITED' STATES lATENTs. g

-Beker 'F.el., 2s, 193s Taylor Jan. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIIE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTDN Patent No. 2,860,201

' Andre Conord November ll, 1958 It is hereby certified that error appears in the aboTe numbered patent requiring correction and that the seid Letters Patent Shmld read es Corrected below.

In the grant, lines 2 and ll, and n theA heading to the printed specification lines 4 and 5, neme of assignee, for '"Ceman Conorcl,n each occurrence, read Signed end Sealed this 24th day of Merch 1959..

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL H. AXLINE Attesting Officer ROBERT C. WATSON Corrmssioner of Patents 

